On October 14, we announced the bulk of confirmed sessions for the 2014 SXSW Interactive Festival. Almost all of these sessions came from proposals submitted by the online community via the SXSW PanelPicker. The selection process for these proposals mixes voting from the general online public, plus Advisory Board input as well as SXSW staff input.

The October 14 announcement is formatted alphabetically by theme, (and each theme is aligned with a specific venue). Within each venue, sessions are listed alphabetically by first word of the title. The name of the first speaker listed in the proposal is provided immediately after the title -- in many cases, the session includes more than one speaker (although for sake of brevity, only one speaker is listed in today's announcement). Click on the title to learn more information about the session and about the speakers via its entry page in the SXSW PanelPicker. Sessions marked with a double asterisk (**) are designated as Core Conversations. Being that meaningful, topic-focused discussions with smart digital creatives are at the heart of the SXSW Interactive experience, this format is always very popular with attendees.

Want even more content? Stay tuned to the main SXSW page for programming announcements for SXSW Film (Tuesday, October 15), SXSWedu (Tuesday, October 15) and SXSW Music (Wednesday, October 16).

A much smaller batch of accepted content for SXSW Interactive will be released on Tuesday, November 12. Click here to see the full SXSW Interactive timeline between now and March.

Also, watch the SXSW Interactive website for announcements on keynote speakers. Each day of SXSW Interactive features one keynote speaker -- so there are five total keynote speakers for the 2014 event.

Remember that you need an Interactive, Gold or Platinum badge to attend the sessions listed on this page. Purchase your badge before prices increase at 11:59 pm CST on Friday, October 18 to save $400 off the walkup price.

Finally, if you entered a speaking proposal and your proposal is part of today's list, then congrats! With more than 3000 proposals in this year's SXSW PanelPicker, the selection process was extremely extremely competitive. If you entered a speaking proposal and it is not part of today's announcement, then please watch your inbox. You will hear more about the status of your proposal by the end of the day on Friday, October 25.

Got questions on today's content announcement or on other matters related to the 2014 SXSW Interactive Festival? Talk to the SXSW Interactive Festival staff at 2:00 pm Central Daylight Time on October 14 via our special Reddit AMA. Or, contact us and we will provide all your answers! Click here to learn more about the overall schedule for SXSWeek.

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Featured SessionsAssorted Venues
Featured Sessions at SXSW showcase some of the most innovative thinkers in the new media industry. These Featured Sessions occur at the Austin Convention Center, the Hilton Austin Downtown and assorted other venues.

Art, Science and InspirationOmni Downtown
From 3D printing to the renewed geek interest in all things science to tech-influenced poetry to space exploration, the Omni Downtown hosts an intriguing mix of content that will appeal to a wide variety of digital creatives.

Book ReadingsAustin Convention Center, Day Stage
New (or soon-to-be-published) authors are the star attraction at the Day Stage. After you hear the author talk about his / her new book, head over to the nearby SX Bookstore to buy an autographed copy of their work.

Content and DistributionThe Driskill Hotel
The ongoing challenge of Content and Distribution is a central concern to so much of the SXSW Interactive audience. Many of the sessions in this theme are also open to badgeholders for SXSW Film, thus allowing for great convergent networking opportunities.

Design and DevelopmentAustin Convention Center, Level 1The Four Seasons
Sessions covering Design and Development appeal to the core community who have attended SXSW Interactive since the event began in 1994. Other design-related programming occurs via Workshops at the AT&T Conference Center.

Entertainment and ImmersionAustin Convention Center, Level 4
Visit the 4th Floor of the Austin Convention Center to learn about the future of Entertainment and Immersion. Sessions in this theme focus on everything from humor to next-generation media companies.

Global Impact and PolicyAustin Convention Center, Level 3
Non-profits as well as companies that are strongly committed to the social good play a huge role in the SXSW Interactive community. The Global Impact and Policy theme also includes sessions focusing on the role of government in shaping our online future.

Health and BusinessHilton Austin Downtown, 6th Floor
One of the big changes for the 2014 SXSW Interactive Festival is moving enterprise-related content to the 6th Floor of the Hilton, just upstairs from Startup Village. Sharing the 6th Floor with these business-related panels will be a track of sessions covering innovations in the health and medical industry.

Intelligent FutureHyatt Regency
From radically improved transportation systems to the burgeoning wearable computing industry, the Intelligent Future theme focuses on some of tomorrow's most exciting new technological innovations.

Keynote SpeakersAustin Convention CenterLive Simulcast at Assorted Other Venues
Outside-the-box author Austin Kleon will serve as the Opening Keynote Speaker for SXSW Interactive on Friday, March 7 at 2:00 pm. Other keynote presentations occur at 2:00 pm on Saturday, March 8; Sunday, March 9; Monday, March 10 and Tuesday, March 11. Stay tuned to the SXSW Interactive website for more details.

Mentor SessionsHilton Garden Inn, 10th Floor Atrium
Meet one-on-one with established industry professionals by taking part in the SXSW Interactive Mentor Program. These sessions require advanced signup that will begin as we get closer to the 2014 event. Most Mentor session slots will fill up before the event begins, so keep an eye on our blog for updates as to when the signups will go live.

Meet UpsAssorted Venues
SXSW Interactive provides unbeatable career-enhancing connections. Take advantage of our extensive Meet Up program to connect with the kinds of people you most want to connect with.

Next StageAustin Convention Center, 1st FloorThese sessions occur March 9-12
Programming at the Next Stage showcase intriguing content that spans the focus of the Music, Film and Interactive industries. Stay tuned to this website for complete details. Next Stage is located within the SXSW Trade Show on the 1st Floor of the Austin Convention Center.

Social and PrivacySheraton
The summer of 2013 brought shocking revelations from Edward Snowden about Prism and the NSA. Keep up with the latest privacy-related developments by attending the compelling content at the Sheraton. This venue also hosts sessions covering the newest innovations in the world of social media.

Startup VillageHilton Austin Downtown, 4th Floor
From panels to lounges to Meet Ups to the SXSW Accelerator pitch competition, this space brings together all startup-related content. If your startup is interested in being involved with SXSW Accelerator, remember that the deadline to enter is Friday, November 8.

SXSW Gaming and SXSW CreateVenue TBAThese sessions occur March 7-9
One of the fastest growing aspects of the event, SXSW Gaming provides three days of sessions covering the most current developments in the video game industry. Meanwhile, attend SXSW Create panel programming to keep up-to-date with the most innovative thinking in the DIY / maker space.

SXSW Home RoomAssorted Venues
Introduced in March 2013, the SXSW Home Room program allows you to make early-morning connections, plus gain important information about the day ahead. Stay tuned to the SXSW website in the coming months for more complete details.

Work and CareerCourtyard Marriott
Not getting enough intellectual or spiritual fulfillment out of your four hour workweek? Then get inspired about with new ideas by attending this Work and Career theme at the Courtyard Marriott.

WorkshopsAT&T Conference Center
Extended workshops that allow for more in-depth learning were introduced at the 2013 SXSW Interactive Festival and proved to be very popular with attendees. Reserve your seat for the workshop(s) of your choice beginning in early January 2014. Most workshop slots will fill up before the event begins, so set a calendar reminder now for early January.

WTF and BeyondRadisson Town Lake
Looking for the weirder side of the 2014 SXSW Interactive Festival? Then be part of the WTF and Beyond track at the Radisson, just south of the Austin Convention Center.